Home Improvement Projects Using Timber

We have worked on quite a few home improvement projects over the years and the cottage that we are in now is no exception. We still have lots of jobs that need doing, for instance, we could do with a new staircase as ours descends quite steeply and then has a really tight winding bend at the bottom. It would be much better if we could have a standard staircase that leads into the living room. We could also do with replacing all of the interior doors and fitting some new timberframes, in fact, we could do with a whole delivery load of timber for jobs that need doing!

Timber is a really useful material when it comes to renovating the home, it is durable, long lasting and economical. There are many ways in which timber can be used and here are just a few that come to mind.

Door Frames

If you have an old property like ours that hasn’t had much maintaining over the years, then chances are you are going to probably need to replace your door frames. You can get the lining and casing kits from the majority of DIY/building supplies stores.

Shelving

Make yourself some sturdy and solid timber shelves. Not only are they a fab way to display your home accessories and photos on, but they are really cost effective too.
Another nice feature would be to have a solid shelf above the fireplace to achieve a rustic look.

Image source Tatyana Korotun/Shutterstock

Cladding

Timber cladding is becoming increasingly popular for covering the exterior of houses. It is durable and renewable making it easy to maintain the outside of the home.

Cold frames

Uses for timber can be extended to the outside of the home including the garden. Cold frames, used to protect your seeds when it is colder outside, can be made in no time with a few lengths of timber. Once built it will withstand the elements and last for years.

Image source jgolby/Shutterstock

Raised Beds

If you like to eat fresh organic vegetables then making some raised vegetable beds would be very beneficial. You can control the quality of the soil with a raised bed, they are easier to tend especially when it comes to weeding and they warm the soil up quicker which allows you to get started with your veggies a little earlier.

Benches

I love seating in the garden. Over the summer months, we have friends and family over ours for bbq’s, so I like to have plenty of seating. Picnic style benches are ideal for sitting together, having a natter and enjoying a drink or several!

We used timber for almost everything when we lived in Sweden, from building bits of furniture, to garden features, shelving, house renovations etc. But we’re finding the price of timber here in the UK a bit steep… although I guess it makes sense that it’s more expensive here, considering that almost 70% of Sweden is covered by forests, while the UK figure is less than 12%. Quite a difference (and another reason why I love the English countryside)! x #MMBCMalin – Sensational Learning with Penguin recently posted…Sensory Fun in the Kitchen: Iceberg Slush